Sam Davies steps up to get Wales out of jail with his dramatic drop kick at goal in the dying moments

19 November 2016, 04:34 pm ::

By Graeme Gillespie

Davies' boot saves Wales blushes

Sam Davies became an instant Welsh hero in only his second international appearance as he dropped a goal with a mere six seconds left to play to earn a 33-30 victory against Japan in the third round of matches in the 2016 Under Armour Series.

Davies came on in the 67th minute and did what he has been doing all season with the Ospreys and used his golden boot to good effect. One chip ahead almost earned a try for Alex Cuthbert and then he slotted the match winning drop goal when his team needed to save face at home against a thoroughly committed Japanese side.

Leigh Halfpenny kicked 15 points and there was a first try for his country from back row man Dan Lydiate seven years on from his debut. But the game ended three tries apiece in front of a crowd of 73,969.

Japan started well, very well and were six points ahead within the first nine minutes. Outside half Yu Tamura kicked a simple penalty in the fifth minute and then punished Liam Williams for a cynical piece of play that led to him getting a yellow card a few minutes later.

Right wing Akihito Yamada hacked the ball past opposite number Cuthbert on the Welsh 10 metre line and went racing after it. Williams was the last line of defence and turned his back into the Japanese player to block his path.

South African referee Marius van der Westhuizen consulted with touch judge John Lacey and had no hesitation in giving the Wales full back a 10 minute break. Tamura added further punishment with his second penalty to make it 6-0.

The Welsh scrum, with Ospreys loose head Nicky Smith shining in the set-piece and around the field, became an increasing threat and gave the home side a foothold in the game. The first Welsh points then came via an unusual source as the Ospreys flanker Dan Lydiate picked up his first Test try in his 59th appearance.

A well weighted pass from Gareth Anscombe, making his first start for Wales at No 10, created the space for Lydiate to use his power on the right wing to cross from five metres out. Halfpenny added the extras and then weaved his way into the Japanese 22 as Wakes began to build attack after attack.

A second try soon came when Jonathan Davies, a constant threat in the home midfield, blasted his way up to with a few metres and then offloaded off the floor to his centre partner Jamie Roberts. Nobody was going to stop the Harlequins star from there and he crossed for his 12th Welsh try.

Halfpenny once again added the extras and Wales were in command half way through the first period. Some over ambitious offloading by the home side then opened up the door for the Japanese to come rushing back into the contest with a 40 metre breakaway try by the fleet-footed Yamada.

It was the tight head prop Samson Lee who attempted the first miracle pass and then Anscombe tried to find Cuthbert with another, equally rash, pass. The ball went to ground, Yamada couldn't believe his luck and off he raced for his 14th try in 17 Tests.

Amanaki Lotoahea, who was on as a blood replacement for Tamura, slotted the conversion and the gap was only a single point at half-time. The Welsh lead was increased within a few minutes of the re-start when Halfpenny banged over a simple penalty.

Then came the third try from skipper Sam Warburton. It was Alun Wyn Jones who created it with a stunning gallop into the Japanese 22 and his pop-up ball for Warburton who was in close support, crossed at the posts for a score that Halfpenny had no problems in converting.

Now the lead was 11 points, but not for long! Back came Japan with the best try of the game from left wing Kenki Fukuoka in the corner after some wonderful passing under pressure between backs and forwards.

Tamura may have taken his time over the touchline conversion, but the outside half nailed it to make it a one score game again on 55 minutes. The Welsh lead rose to seven with another Halfpenny penalty, but Tamura ensured it didn't stay that way with another penalty of his own.

The Japanese outside half pushed another kick wide of the mark that would have made it a one-point game again. Halfpenny slotted a 70th minute to take Wales to 30 points, but Japan had one final flourish.

Some brilliant play from No 8 Amanaki Mafi with an overhead pass inside to Lotoahea allowed the replacement centre to race into the home 22, step inside Liam Williams and cross for another stunning try. Tamura stepped up to take the conversion and his wide-angled kick levelled the scores at 30-30 with five minutes left to play.

A perfectly executed kick by Sam Davies, on for Anscombe, gave Cuthbert the chance to chase and it looked as though he had picked the ball up off his toes and crossed the line to score, but the ball got trapped in his legs and there was no score.

Instead, Wales had to wait for Sam Davies to drop a match winning goal with six seconds left to play on the clock. That saved Welsh blushes and robbed the Japanese of a share of the spoils.